Shore Excursions: Juneau, Alaska

I've been told that I've been remiss in my blog-updating. Goodness, my family is demanding. Anyway, Juneau has 47 different options, it appears. I'm certain, however, that not all of the them are available on our cruise. I don't feel like figuring out which aren't eligible, so I'll leave that up to the rest of you. The thing I most want to do in Juneau is not on the list. This is the capital of Alaska and everyone's favorite Alaskan governor may be present - I want to pay her a visit. Somehow I don't see that happening. Once again, there is the typical assortment of generic tours of glaciers, rainforests (still strange), and bus tours of the area. There also seem to be a great deal of combination tours this time. Anyway, for a complete list, click here and enter the proper info, just like last time.

1. Underground Juneau Gold - You get to explore the caves of what was once the largest gold-producing mill in the world. Maybe we'll be lucky and find random gold nuggets lying around. And maybe not. ($65/person)
2. Whale Watching and Wildlife Quest - They guarantee a whale sighting or your money back. Probably means they have a captured whale right by the dock or something... ($149/person)
3. Dog Sled Summer Camp - Experience what it's like to participate in the Ititarod Race. Ok, probably not exactly what it's like, but you do get to go on a wheeled cart that the dogs pull. ($159/person)
4. Helicopter Glacier Walkabout - Pretty much just what it sounds like - take a helicopter to a glacier and walk around for an hour. They even provide you with coat, hat, gloves, and boots. Woo! ($389/person)
5. Mount Roberts Tramway - Take a tram 1,800 feet up Mount Roberts to get a nice view of the area. Dining and shopping are available at the top. Steve is required to go on this as payback for certain comments he made about me. Consider it practice for the Amazing Race. ($29/person)

Shore Excursions: Ketchikan, Alaska

We’ll start our introduction to possible shore excursions with the first stop of the cruise in Ketchikan, Alaska. There are 42 different excursions available and I’m not going to describe all of them. I picked out a few that were either interesting, absurd, or fascinated me in some other way. There are numerous options that involve standard tours of the town or surrounding area, including rainforests (?!), national parks, etc. Those come in a variety of prices and are self explanatory and kinda boring to write about. You can get to the list of all possible excursions by clicking here (you'll need to fill in the appropriate info yourself).

1. Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show - the competition includes tree-climbing, axe throwing, buck sawing, and more. Looks like it could be somewhat amusing and is on the cheaper end of the spectrum ($34/person). This can also be combined with a trip to Totem Bight State Park, where oddly enough, you’ll get to see a bunch of totem poles ($69/person).
2. Saxman Native Village - you’ll visit a real-life Native American village, complete with welcome ceremony. Seems a little odd to me, but whatever floats your boat ($59/person).
3. Alaskan Chef’s Table - obviously not something I’m likely to partake of, but seafood lovers will enjoy a tasty 5 course meal with a personal chef ($129/person).
4. Adventure Cart & Jet Boat Expedition - after a safety lesson (always a good sign…), you’ll get to drive an adventure cart in the Mahoney Basin, surrounding cliffs and waterfalls. Sounds safe. Then you get to take a ride in a boat for a one hour “cruise.” This trip does include a snack, yippee! ($225/person)
5. Bear Creek Zipline Adventure - Taken from the website: “Enter the fly zone on an eco-adventure for those seeking excitement and exhilaration. Seven ziplines, lofty tree platforms, Alaska's longest skybridge, rappelling and a 250-foot-long mountain slide comprise this ultimate action experience.” While this sounds like a lot of fun, it also sounds exhausting ($175/person).
6. Tatoosh Islands Kayak Adventure - This is included because there is not a cooler name for a place than Tatoosh Islands. That’s awesome. I don’t suggest anyone try this with Dad. His boats don’t tend to stay upright. Proceed at your own risk ($149/person).
7. Bering Sea Crab Fisherman’s Tour - You’ll get to tour one of the boats from the show Deadliest Catch - how cool is that?! The boat will go out to sea and the fishermen will do their thing while you watched from a “heated and sheltered outdoor amphitheater” on the deck ($172/person).
8. Mountain Point Snorkeling Adventure - This isn’t your normal snorkeling adventure…you are provided with a “toasty warm” wetsuit, hood, boots, and gloves. Still, snorkeling in Alaska sounds cold to me ($99/person).
9. Misty Fjords Seaplane Exploration - Pretty much just what it sounds like, you’ll get to see all along this area things such as big waterfalls, cliffs, lakes, etc. I’ve always wanted to go in a seaplane ($259/person).
10. Wilderness Bear Watch - They bill this as “once in a lifetime.” This is probably because, if you think as Dad does, the bears will eat you or something. There are actually several bear watching options. I know you want to do this, Dad!! ($369/person)

Shore Excursions

I've begun to look at the possible shore excursions available during the cruise portion of the trip. I think, over the next week or so, I'll create posts looking at several of the options available. This would have been something better to do over the last week rather than the next week given I had no work, but alas, poor planning on my part. And I needed (and relished) my nothing-to-do time. So anyway, check back over the next week for things that can be done in Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway. I'm leaving out the shore excursions that can be done in Vancouver and Anchorage. I don't think we'll be taking advantage of those, so no need to include them.